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Yesterday came the big announcement that Ron Howard would replace the directing duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord for the Star Wars Han Solo movie, and now new information sheds light on the reasons behind the 21 Jump Street directors departure.
It’s already been reported that the pair had clashed with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy throughout the shoot because of “creative differences” and now more details have emerged.
Sources close to the directors told Entertainment Weekly that Lord and Miller were “shifting the story off-course” by not strictly following the script and “encouraging significant improvisation from the actors”.
A source also says that the comedic tone was too overpowering as they “began steering the Han Solo movie more into the genre of laughs than space fantasy”:
“They thought they were brought on to make a Phil and Chris movie. Sometimes they just thought the actors could do it differently. As principal photography for the movie approached its end, it became clear that the filmmakers and producers did not share the same vision for some critical scenes. Lord and Miller dug in, refusing to compromise on what they saw as best for the film, the partnership went from strained to fractured.”
Variety also backs up this report:
“Kathy, her team and Larry Kasdan have been doing it their way for a very long time. They know how the cheese is made and that’s how they want it made. It became a very polarizing set. It was a culture clash from day one. She didn’t even like the way they folded their socks,” said a source.
Lord and Miller do predominantly have a comedy background with the likes of How I Met Your Mother, The LEGO Movie and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. LucasFilm clearly felt the directing duo were ultimately not right for the film and went for a safe experienced replacement in Ron Howard:
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard will assume directorial duties on the untitled Han Solo film. https://t.co/Ki04TAoKEe pic.twitter.com/7LvRyTUt6t
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 22, 2017
“At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began forty years ago. With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. ” Kennedy said in a statement.
Howard has since tweeted that he is “beyond grateful” for the opportunity:
I'm beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77.
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 22, 2017
I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film.
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 22, 2017
He also spoke publicly about the role at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity earlier today. See it here at the 57 mins mark:
https://youtu.be/ZrH5zc3r6Pw?t=57m16s
The untitled Han Solo spin-off is scheduled for May 2018.
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